Monopoly (song)
| recorded = | studio = SpeakEasy Recording Studio Burbank, California | format = * Digital download * streaming | genre = Trap-pop | length = | label = Republic | writer = * Victoria Monét * Tim Suby * Charles Anderson * Michael Foster * Ariana Grande | producer = * Tim Suby * Social House )}} | chronology = Ariana Grande | prev_title = Rule the World | prev_year = 2019 | next_title = Boyfriend | next_year = 2019 | misc = }} }} "Monopoly" (stylized in all caps) is a song by American singers Ariana Grande and Victoria Monét, released on April 1, 2019 through label Republic Records. The song was written by Grande, Monét, Charles Anderson, Michael Foster, and Tim Suby, with production being handled by Social House and Suby. The music video, which was shot on March 30, 2019 at Mohegan Sun in the hours leading up to a concert scheduled that night, was released alongside the single, and was directed by Alfredo Flores and Ricky Alvarez. "Monopoly" was included on the Japanese deluxe edition of Grande's fifth studio album Thank U, Next (2019) as a bonus track, along with the official remix of "7 Rings" featuring 2 Chainz. It reached the top 10 in Greece and Israel and the top 20 in Ireland, Japan and New Zealand. Background Monét and Grande decided to make a song titled "Monopoly", finding it funny since Monét dislikes the board game and declines to play whenever Grande asks. The song was recorded on February 1, 2019. "Monopoly" was originally slated for a March 28, 2019 release but was pushed back to April 1, 2019 to celebrate "7 Rings" 8th week at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Grande said "Monopoly" is about "friendship, freedom, protecting your energy and staying right in your bag." Lyrics and composition "Monopoly" is a trap-pop song, leading Uproxx writer Chloe Gilke to call it the "spiritual successor" to Grande's single "7 Rings" which Monét also co-wrote. The song is a celebration of Grande's success, much like "7 Rings", which charted at number one on the Hot 100 for eight weeks. The lyric "I like women and men" garnered significant attention since Monét previously came out as bisexual in November 2018, referencing Frank Ocean's 2017 single "Chanel" which is about his own bisexuality. Monét personally believed it was important to include this line, along with the lyrics "Swerve both ways, Dichotomy" (a double entendre invoking the word dyke), to highlight her sexuality because of the lack of representation for bisexual black women in her industry. In response to the attention garnered by Grande for also singing the "I like women and men" line, Grande opened up about her sexuality and revealed she doesn't label herself, tweeting "i haven’t myself before and still don’t feel the need to now ������‍♂️ which is okay". Grande also sings “Even though we gave up that 90%,” referencing the fact that she had to give up 90% of the royalties for "7 Rings" to Rodgers & Hammerstein due to interpolating the melody of The Sound of Music s "My Favorite Things". Reception Vulture praised the song and music video for being a "meme-heavy bisexual bop". NME wrote that following the release of Thank U, Next (2019), "Monopoly" was refreshing to hear, describing the song as "flippant and fun". The Washington Post, Broadly, and PinkNews reported that certain fans responded negatively to the song, accusing Grande of queerbaiting. Broadly writer Gabrielle Alexa criticized the accusations, stating "the act of speculating only perpetuates attitudes that contribute to the erasure of bisexual women. Grande doesn't have to date a girl in order to count as bisexual. And we shouldn't try to make her prove her sexuality anyways." Credits and personnel Credits adapted from Tidal.MONOPOLY / Ariana Grande – TIDAL *Ariana Grande – vocals, songwriting *Victoria Monét – vocals, songwriting *Tim Suby – production, songwriting, programming *Social House – co-production, songwriting, programming *Kyle Mann – engineering, mixing, studio personnel *Brendan Morawski – engineering, studio personnel Charts Certifications References External links * Victoria Monét's "Monopoly" Official Lyrics & Meaning, from Genius Category:2019 songs Category:2019 singles Category:Ariana Grande songs Category:Republic Records singles Category:Songs written by Ariana Grande Category:Songs written by Victoria Monét Category:LGBT-related songs